Older male Italian immigrants are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression

Researchers from the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health have found older male Italian immigrants are almost twice as likely to suffer from depression as their Australian-born counterparts.
 
Researchers have concluded the higher rate of depression among Italian-born Australian men aged over 70 is due in large part to a greater reliance on the government pension and different perceptions of social support networks. Their results point to a potentially major health issue for older Italian immigrants, currently a growing part of Australia’s ageing population.

The research findings have been published in the latest edition of the Medical Journal of Australia.